Young French FFME team with Arnaud Petit establish new route in Wadi Rum, Jordan

Precisely 20 years after establishing the striking La Guerre Sainte - Jihad on Jebel Nassarani ground-up over a period of five days in November 2000 with Philippe Batoux, Benoit Robert, Hervé Bouvard, Guy Abert and Alon Hod, earlier this month France’s Arnaud Petit returned to Jordan to make the first ascent of another big multi-pitch rock climb in the Wadi Rum massif.

Much like on Tsaranoro Atsimo in Madagascar in 2018, the 49-year-old mountain guide and Jonathan Crison accompanied a young French Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing team comprised of Eline Le Menestrel, Solène Amoros, Eloi Peretti, Romaric Geffroy, Guillaume Colin and Thoma Meignan as they established la Voie du Coeur, the heart route directly up the East Face of Jebel Rum. This 430m line is fully bolted and breaches difficulties up to 7c+ max (7b obligatory). The route takes an independent line to the right of Revienta o barilla and crosses Insh’Allah Factor at about half-height.

Petit stated "The bottom pitches are exceptional up steep slabs and vertical walls. These are followed by slightly sandy and physical sections, then two pitches past delicate but well-protected rock before reaching the headwall and its compact layer of white sandstone, its small 7b/b + bombé overlap and its surreal balancy moves on small pebbles embedded in the rock."



Arnaud Petit: vagabondsdelaverticale.com, FB Arnaud Petit, Petzl, SCARPA, Patagonia
FFME: www.ffme.fr, Millet Mountain, Beal